hippofountain OP t1_jcj5zku wrote on March 17, 2023 at 5:24 AM

Reply to comment by viscence in Over the course of a human lifetime, do any of the photons emitted by humans via blackbody radiation ever successfully make it through the atmosphere and into space? by hippofountain

Thank you so much! You have no idea how long I've wondered this.

rootofallworlds t1_jcmg0qt wrote on March 17, 2023 at 10:04 PM

Even if you completely covered every other part of the body, if you look at the sky, about 20% of the thermal radiation from your eyeballs escapes into space.

hippofountain OP t1_jcnla5y wrote on March 18, 2023 at 3:22 AM

This is absolutely wild. I figured that some photons must make it through, but these numbers are stunning. Thanks for the extra info!